As part of the 1998-99 Innovations
Pool, the Department of Health and Aged Care funded a two-year collaborative
project between North East Valley, Northern and Melbourne Divisions of General
Practice and the North East Health Promotion Centre. The project was completed
in August 2001.

This project distinguished between
the two different roles a GP plays in health promotion (manager of the practice
and as a medical practitioner) and directed activities accordingly, at either
the the practice or the consultation level.

Below is a list of the resources
developed over the two years. These should be useful for anyone interested in innovative
divisions of general practice projects, population health in general
practice, health promotion and men's health

Model
of Practice Support-for a "whole of practice" approach to
health promotion
This model emphasises the role of the GP as a manager of organisational systems
rather than a medical practitioner. It assists GPs to identify systems that are
in place and others that should be, includes an awareness-raising component and
culminates in the development of a strategic Health Promotion Plan for their
practice. Practice Support also includes assistance to staff, as required, in
implementing the health promotion plan. This model emphasises the importance of
practices developing sustainable systems that can be used for health promotion
in any targeted area (eg., men's health, adolescent health, diabetes, physical
activity etc).

Practice
Population SurveyPart of the Practice Support Model, or used alone, this survey has been
designed for practices' to survey their patients regarding their beliefs about
lifestyle behaviours and health, and the types of interventions they expect from
their GPs. The survey can be downloaded and customised with practice details and
has an accompanying Excel program for easy data entry and analysis.

Practice
Health Promotion PlansPart of the Practice Support Model, or used alone, the Health Promotion Plan
has been designed as a tool for General Practice Management Teams pursuing a
health promoting practice. It is a practical tool to assist GPs and Management
Teams apply the principles outlined in the RACGP's "Putting Prevention into
Practice: Guidelines for the implementation of prevention in the general
practice setting." The plan can be downloaded and customised to suit any
practice.

Resource
kitMen's Health Promotion during the General Practice Consultation has been
designed and produced specifically for GPs. The kit provides an overview on
men's health statistics, tips on engaging males as patients, a thorough
checklist for a Men's Health Check-up, lists educational resources available to
dispense to patients and information on community resources available for
referrals.

The
M Factor: Men and their health(Guest Editorial by Dr Andrew Pattison
appeared in Current Therapeutics, August 2001)
This article discusses the many issues as to why there are health differences
between the sexes and how GPs might better address the health of their male
patients.

PowerPoint
Presentation (by Dr David Oberklaid)A slide kit detailing the issues facing GPs with men's health, the barriers
and offering some solutions or ideas for a different approach.

Providing
Health Care to Men in General Practice(Guest Editorial by Darlene
Henning appeared in Current Therapeutics, May 2001, 42(5), 11-14)
This article describes ways GPs as managers and clinicians may use a "whole
of practice" approach to providing health care to men in their practice. It
describes the systems and structures that can be put in place to facilitate an
efficient and pro-active general practice. It also highlights ideas for ensuring
general practices are welcoming to male patients.

PowerPoint
Presentation (presented at Men Fully Alive: 4th National Men's and Boys'
Health conference, University of Western Sydney, NSW, 26th -29th September,
2001)
A slide kit outlining the project as a whole will be available late September.